Macau — the Las Vegas of the Far East
I must confess that after visiting Macau for the first time four years ago, I didn't plan on every returning. I don't gamble. I'm not much for glamor and glitz. And I'm often unimpressed by the obligatory tourist attractions. So when Glenn told me that he wanted to go to Macau, I wasn't really jumping at the bit. But I thought I'd give it another chance and try to make my way off the beaten track this time around.
We started our day — like all good tourists — at the Largo do Senado, the UNESCO-designated "Historic Centre of Macau" that features such traditional shops as Bath and Body Works, Bosinni, MANGO, McDonalds, and Starbucks. Feeling a little peckish, we ventured into a nearby cha chan teng for a bite to eat. It wasn't as cool as Hong Kong's Mido Cafe, but it fed my fried-egg sandwich fix. I also ordered hot Coke with ginger, something I've been wanting to try for a long time. Unfortunately, because of a communication snafu I ended up with the cold — and consequently less gingery — version, but I'll get it right the next time!
Refreshed, Glenn and I set out under the blazing sun in search of some antique shops that I'd read about. After wandering around a bit, we found a tantalizing (but closed) shop that beckoned with promises of rare movie treasures.
I never found out what riches lay waiting in this antique shop near the Ruins of St. Paul's
We then made our way back towards the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, which still managed to impress me in spite of the crowds and the heat. The ruins are emblematic of the old world atmosphere that makes Macau such a picturesque place for both visitors and filmmakers.
The Ruins of St. Paul's in the Shaw Brothers film I, Murderer (1961)
After watching Isabella (2006), you'll definitely want to visit Macau
After ascending the steps of St. Paul's, we journeyed into the less touristy part of town, looking for the "El Dorado" of our visit: the Cinema Alegria, known in Chinese as the Wing Lok Cinema. Built in 1952, it is allegedly Macau's oldest surviving movie theater.
The Art Deco–influenced front of the Cinema Alegria
According to the Macau Government Tourist office, the Cinema Alegria "existed on a staple of classic patriotic films in the early days", which I take to mean leftist films. Check out this tantalizing snippet of history I found via Google Books.
On March 1 [1955?] a party of Portuguese policemen and troops surrounded Wing Lok Theater, which was showing a Chinese film, "United for Tomorrow", and forcibly stopped the showing of the film. The Portuguese policemen and troops brutally beat up employees of the theater and some of the audience. Three persons were arrested.
Wow... things sure have changed since then. Nowadays, in this post-colonial, post-communist era, the Cinema Alegria screens movies like Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction and On His Majesty's Secret Service.
Art for the Masses: On His Majesty's Secret Service (2009)
The theater was renovated a few years ago. And while I could bemoan the fact that the original balcony was converted into a second screening room, I must admit that the new sound system rocks and the venue still retains its old-school charm — not to mention these cool hand-marked tickets!
Old-school tickets with row and seat hand-marked
Spending four hours inside the Cinema Alegria was a memorable experience for a movie fan like myself and definitely one of the highlights of my trip. As I sat in my seat waiting for the films to start, I daydreamed about the flickering ghosts of moving pictures long vanished and felt grateful that places like this still exist.
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